


It's On The House

by 720dpi



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Deathshipping, M/M, Oneshot, Thiefshipping, bakura is a barista, honestly i cant believe i went thru with this, marik is a bartender, mariku is yami marik, rly messy, slightly OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 11:46:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14954087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/720dpi/pseuds/720dpi
Summary: The Ishtar brothers own a newly opened bar down the street from Ryou and Bakura's cafe. Based on this artwork--> http://a-paper-tiger.tumblr.com/post/174741571980/a-paper-tiger-au-i-kept-thinking-about-ryou





	It's On The House

The ridiculous bell on the chimed, announcing the arrival of a new customer. 

“Welcome to The Groundyard!” Ryou greeter cheerily. 

Bakura rolled his eyes as he ground the coffee, Ryou was way too cheerful for a Monday morning. Opening up this cafe was Ryou’s idea and they both enjoyed coffee so the idea of making coffee wasn’t horrible. Better than an office job, Bakura mused. As for the name, The Groundyard, Ryou found it an amusing play on the word ‘graveyard’. “Get it? Because we grind the beans every morning?” Working here meant they were their own bosses and the crowd wasn’t too bad. Bakura enjoyed people watching every now and then tuning in to their mindless chatter and then scoffing at their trivial dialogues. 

“Will it kill you to smile at the customers Bakura?” Ryou turned to him. Ryou liked pleasing people. He savored the smile on their faces when they hand them their pastries and beverages. He greeted every customer with a smile and handled even the most difficult of customers without raising his voice, though the same can’t be said for Bakura, whom avoided talking to the customers as much as possible preferring to busy himself with making drinks and food. 

______

Ryou squeaked. It was soft but it was enough to make Bakura turn to look at the customer.   
Tall and dark,he looked Middle Eastern but his platinum blonde hair which was spiked wildly was a stark contrast to his mocha skin. The kohl marks under his eyes accentuated his sharp features and his eyes reminded Bakura of amethyst geodes. No wonder Ryou squeaked he was intimidating as hell. 

And by intimidating, he meant kinda hot. Meh not my type though, he added as an afterthought. 

“ Hot cappuccino to go” said the stranger. 

Ryou nodded at Bakura who acknowledged it with an ‘ok’ sign and got busy to making the drink. 

Ryou smiled nervously as he handed the stranger the drink. He avoided making eye contact with the handsome stranger who, noticing this, smirked. Ryou felt the heat from embarrassment burning his cheeks which grew even more intense when the stranger leaned slightly over the counter as if teasing the shy boy. 

Bakura watched the scene unfold in amusement. It’s not everyday you get a good looking customer bold enough to utilize his appearances to intimidate others. Bakura admired that. He disappeared behind to grab a fresh bag of beans. 

The bell rang again and another customer resembling the previous stepped in. His hair was more tamed than the other, his features softer, almost effeminate and was more lean than ripped compared to the other. Siblings, Ryou supposed. 

“Did you get me my soy latte?” he asked. His voice wasn’t as deep as his brothers but both had a strong accent which Ryou could not put his finger on. 

“Ah well now that you decided to step in, how about you get buy it for yourself?” He can a wry smile to his brother, who shot him a glare before walking towards Ryou to get his coffee fix. 

The two brothers quickly left and Ryou was left wondering if they would be regulars. “I could get used to seeing a face like that”, he giggled to himself. 

Bakura popped his head out from the pantry, “ Ryou! Stop talking to yourself and help me with these damn cartons!”

__________________

“Why does yours look like an actual leaf and mine looks like trash?” Mariku said, looking back and forth between Marik’s paper cup to his. 

“It’s just fucking coffee art no one cares Mariku”. Marik said with a exasperated sigh. 

“The cream puff made yours and his dumbass of a brother made mine.” 

Marik side glanced at his brother. “Since when did you care this much about your damn coffee?”

Shrugging his shoulders Mariku walked ahead while Marik looked askance at his diminishing form. Something was fishy, but given that this was the nearest cafe to their apartment, he was quite sure he’d figure out what kind of mushrooms the barista had been slipping into Mariku’s coffee to get him acting like that.   
___________________

Marik tapped his phone screen furiously trying to silence the alarm without getting up. After a few failed attempts he threw in the towel and got up, snatching the phone off the table and rolled out of bed. It was 2pm and work wasn’t until 5, but he wasn’t going to waste the rest of the day. 

Today was their opening day and there were errands to run. He needed to do check that the leaky pipe was fixed, his staff not running late and that Mariku was actually out of bed. 

When Mariku first suggested the idea of opening up their own bar, since both of them have been mixologists for a good 5 years, Marik flat out rejected the idea. But after much convincing (and blackmail) Marik gave in on the condition that he could stay behind the counter for most of the time. 

But man it was hard work, getting the paperwork done, finding the right place, it was a risky investment too and while Mariku enjoyed the thrill of a gamble, Marik preferred not to risk things. “Ra! Why did I agree to this?” he said as he pounded on Mariku’s door to wake him up. Being in a new neighborhood meant re-finding new places to eat and relax and well basically a lot of readjustments to make. 

 

Mariku yawned as he dragged his feet out of his room. He glanced at Marik who was scribbling down a list of things to do for the day and clicked his tongue. He knew his brother was nervous about this whole bar thing. He heard his rant about how they’d both be in debt if they end up having to close down and beg their managers for their old jobs back but was a lot less stressed out about it. They were both blessed with good looks and had a silver tongue which made it easy to get repeat customers and extra tips. Especially now that they were in Japan, their dark skin and blonde hair made them look exotic and it was a feature Mariku was willing to exploit to draw more customers. Hence he decided to name the bar, The Gold Coffin, like the one god Osiris lain in. 

_________

“I want that guy”. Mariku said, pointing at Ryou, who was tending to the register. 

Bakura, stunned by the sudden cryptic statement, blinked. “I’m sorry what”. 

Mariku smirked, “he makes better coffee art, I want that guy”. 

Bakura narrowed his eyes. He didn’t think this musclehead would give a shit about coffee art like not even Bakura have a shit. “Difficult customers”, Bakura muttered under his breath. He then tapped Ryou on the shoulder, “he wants you to make his coffee”. 

Ryou turned several shades of crimson, as Mariku waved at him with a lopsided smile. 

“Sure! Right away!” Ryou chirped, trying to recover.

Mariku made sure he made his stare as obvious as possible to the anxious barista. Ryou tried his best to keep his smile from quivering as he felt Mariku’s hot gaze on him. 

“Sorry for the wait! Here’s your coffee!” Ryou managed, placing the paper cup in front of him. 

Mariku kept his eye on the other’s amber ones, trying to make him as conscious of his interest as possible. The barista before him wasn’t good looking the same way his brother was. No, he was cute and gentle, with a sweet voice and something about him (probably the way he seemed so innocent and pure) made you want to hug him. The way he gets all flustered and anxious when they make eye contact, and the crazy blush he sports when he notices Mariku’s stare, made Mariku want to tease him more. 

“You should visit me sometime” Mariku teased, leaning over the counter, dropping his name card in front of the other. 

Ryou’s eyes widened in confusion as he stared at the paper on the counter, looking up just in time for Mariku to wink at him before snatching up his cup and leaving Ryou dazzled. 

Ryou flipped the name card over to find a string of smudged digits. He shook his head vigorously expecting to wake up in his bed. He ran his thumb over the gold imprints on the card. Mariku Ishtar, Founder, The Gold Coffin. He racked his brain trying to recall coming across the strange title. There was something so alluring about the intimidating stranger who was now a regular at the coffeehouse. Lost in his fantasies, he did not notice leaning over his shoulder.

“Haven’t heard of it, must be new. I could use a drink or two” Bakura said as he cleared out the grounds filter. 

“Wanna go there after closing time?” Ryou said a little too eagerly. His excitement did not slip past Bakura who put the pieces together rather quickly.

“My my, is that eagerness I hear? Is there someone you’re hoping to run into?” 

Ryou immediately stashed away the name card, shoving it quickly into his pocket, “change of atmosphere” he justified. Turning away to hide his embarrassment from the other. Damn, Bakura just knew him way too well.

_____________________

Ryou cleaned up and closed the cafe quicker than usual and they made their way to the bar. 

Ryou held his breath as he pushed open the glass doors, the cool air enveloped him and he was greeted by the glitz of the copper and gold decorations. There was a mix of gold, copper liquid streaming down a glass window into a small pool in the centre of the room, as if mimicking the golden sands of the desert. The cushions and stools were covered with purple velvet and hieroglyphics were inscribed on some of the tables. 

Bakura trailed behind him, and stopped himself when he saw the tall dark regular stroll up towards Ryou. He was dressed in a black sleeveless top which hugged his muscles and beige cargo pants and a purple cape with a gold chain. His eyes were lined with kohl and his gold earrings framed his face. ‘So that’s Ryou’s type huh’ he thought, glancing at the very flustered Ryou.  
He settled himself at the bar counter, not wanting to be caught in between the sexual tension between Ryou and that stranger. 

He flipped through the drinks menu on the counter but before he could open his mouth, the bartender slid a drink towards him. 

Bakura cocked an eyebrow. 

“Tombkeeper, our house special, it’s on me”, the bartender said with a smirk. 

Bakura eyed the drink cautiously, taking a sip, the sharp taste of mint followed by the heat of cumin assailed his tongue. With a sweet after taste of grenadine and rum, Bakura concluded that it was an acquired taste, for those tired of the usual Screwdrivers and Martinis, this was for those who craved something exotic. 

“I could use something exotic”, he muttered to himself as he eyed the alcohol chef in front of him. He was almost a splitting image of Ryou’s object of attraction, but his features were softer, his eyebrows less arched, his hair shorter and more tamed, he wore the same kohl on his eyes but they were winged and with golden hair like the desert sun cascading over his cocoa skin and eyes the colour of lavender, he was really a sight to behold. Mentally slapping himself for staring too long, Bakura downed the drink.

 

“Could be stronger” he said putting the glass back down.

The bartender rolled his eyes. Mixology was an artform, each liquid precisely added, too little alcohol and it would be too watered down, too much and it just spoils the taste of the drink and he was proud of his craft. 

“I suppose you’re somehow related to the muscle head whose toying with my brother”,Bakura said wiggling his thumb at Ryou who was sitting at a booth with Mariku, both of them sitting way too close, giggling way too much and being way too touchy to not be attracted to each other.

Marik glanced towards where Bakura was pointing too. Mariku had his forearm pressed into the velvet backrest, propping himself up as he whispered into Ryou’s ear, causing the boy to break out in a fit of giggles, playfully shoving Mariku. Two cocktail glasses sat on their table, ‘Cosmopolitan and Cuba Libre’, Marik mentally noted, ‘he’s really is in a good mood’. “So that’s the reason he drags me to that cafe every morning?” Marik laughed.

“You’re a regular? I’m quite sure I would remember a face like yours”. Bakura paused. Was he flirting with him? Ryou’s having fun, why shouldn’t he? Besides, the mixologist was far from unattractive and he seemed to share Bakura’s sharp tongue. ‘This could be interesting’, Bakura thought as the bartender slid a drink to another customer before resting his elbow on the counter to lean in closer to Bakura.

“Like I haven’t heard that before”, Marik whispered. He was close enough to inhale Bakura’s scent, which smelt like roasted coffee beans from grinding and brewing coffee all day, his scent had earthy undertones, reminding Marik of dark cocoa. 

“I’m quite sure you have something which could get me more intoxicated than this drink right?” Bakura challenged, his fingers brushing over his lips as he locked eyes with Marik.

Marik felt his face heat up as his heart beat faster. The white haired male was handsome, no doubt, but more than that, he had charisma and Marik appreciated a good flirt. 

“Marik, you might as well learn my name since that’s all you’ll be screaming tonight”, he said before turning his back to Bakura to mix another drink.

Marik leaned over the counter, winking at the girls whom had just settled themselves a few seats away from Bakura. His eyes may be fixated on them but Bakura knew Marik was watching him even as he spoke.

———


End file.
